Today is the National Holiday of Belgium. On 21 July 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha took the constitutional oath to become King of the Belgians. But I want to look at something else.
Tag: Royalty
ANTWERP | ‘To the Antarctic. The polar pioneers of the Belgica’ exhibition at Museum Aan de Stroom (MAS)
Since 21 June, summer solstice, the Museum Aan de Stroom (Museum At the Stream) or MAS in Antwerp hosts the ‘To the Antarctic. The polar pioneers of the Belgica‘. In Belgium, Baron Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery‘s adventure is as famous as Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton‘s Antarctic voyages are in the United Kingdom…
MECHELEN | ‘Knights of the Golden Fleece: a Brilliant Myth Unravelled’ exhibition at Museum Hof van Busleyden
Until 2 June 2024, you can visit the ‘Knights of the Golden Fleece: a Brilliant Myth Unravelled‘ at the Museum Hof van Busleyden in Mechelen (Malines in French, Mechlin in older English).
ATHENS | Monastiraki – Plaka – Syntagma – National Garden – Zappeion – Hadrian’s Gate – Temple of Olympian Zeus – Panathenaic Stadium
During a lovely dinner in February 2023, Steve, Philippe and I decided to visit Athens during the – Catholic – Easter Holiday. As I was lucky to have the full Easter weekend – Saturday, Sunday and Monday – off, I booked flights and a room. Steve and Philippe arrived in the capital of Greece two…
BRUSSELS | BELvue Museum of Belgium
In February 2023 I visited the BELvue Museum in Brussels. I had been to this compact museum next to the Royal Palace of Brussels, but that was pre-blog.
EMILIA-ROMAGNA | A walk in Modena
October 2022. As we wanted to test Trenitalia‘s Frecciarossa 1000 service from Paris to Milan, we planned a rail trip around it. From Antwerp to Paris with Thalys, the ‘Red Arrow’ to Milan and once in Italy continuing to Trieste and Bologna. The return trip took us to Basel in Switzerland to enjoy SBB‘s panoramic…
ICELAND | Þingvellir or Thingvellir National Park – Hvalfjörður Fjord – Húsafell
Iceland in November and December? Really? I saw an Icelandair promotion on Instagram which I couldn’t resist. The catch? It had to be late November to the start of December 2022. But I could – easily – enthuse Oriol to come along for a road trip in the South and West of Iceland.
Royal Military Museum, War Heritage Institute, Brussels, Belgium
The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels is no more. It has been no more since a while, actually. Welcome to the Royal Military Museum, part of the War Heritage Institute (WHI).
BELGIUM | ‘A Constitution For Everyone’: website analyses the making of the 1830-1831 Constitution for the Kingdom of Belgium
Recently, the Catholic University of Leuven or KU Leuven launched the website Belgische Grondwet, telling the tale of a constitution which has the reputation of being “very liberal for its time”.
LONDON | The Elizabeth Line and the Crossrail Place Roof Garden at Canary Wharf
June 2022. Making the best of four weeks off, after the Mediterranean cruise for Danny and Mexico for Timothy, we organised a train trip in England. On the menu: Bletchley Park, the night train to Penzance, the Dartmouth Steam Railway and the Isle of Wight. On the last day, we roamed around London to sample…